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The Pride (Book)
Prologue Nip pressed closer to Mother-Dog as a roll of thunder shook the floor of the abandoned longpaw den where they were sheltering. "It's all right, young one," whispered Mother-Dog. "It's just a Sky-Dog fight." "But what if the rain floods the den?" Nip questioned. "It won't," Mother-Dog assured her, though her voice was edged with doubt. Fidget, Nip's brother, yelped with fear. "When will they stop fightning?" he whined. Nip noticed that his daunted tone had a fussy, griping edge, and beneath her apprehension she felt a small flare of annoyance. More thunder sounded, and in the brief silence when it faded away, Mother-Dog replied to her shuddering pups. "Soon," promised Mother-Dog. "You can hear the thunder, can't you?" Nip and Fidget nodded. "Well, that's the Sun-Dog growling his displeasure. He'll make them stop soon, little ones." Nip sighed. She knew what the thunder was. But why did the Sun-Dog have to growl so loudly? '' Her sister, Whimper, stayed silent, clinging tightly to Mother-Dog. She was shaking violently and kept her eyes closed. Mother-Dog bent over to lick her soothingly, and the tiny pup whined softly. All of the pups; Nip, Fidget, Whimper, Nudge, and Sniff, pressed close together in a heap of soft, warm fur. Mother-Dog curled around them all, keeping them close. Nip was cozy and snug, and was glad they had this longpaw den that gave them shelter while the Sky-Dogs raged above her head. ''Plop. A fat raindrop leaked through the crumbling roof and splattered on her black nose. Nip blinked in surprise, tilting her head upward. Several more drops were finding their way in, and Mother-Dog gave a small, worried growl. Whimper made no sound, but pressed deeper into Mother-Dog's fur as another drop landed beside her. "When will it stop?" inquired Sniff, the most curious of the five pups. Nip saw no trace of fear in his eyes, only wonder, unlike Whimper, who, though silent, her gaze was wild with terror whenever she ceased burying her head in Mother-Dog's coat to glance at the dripping roof. Mother-Dog licked his head swiftly, smoothing any loose strands of fur. "The Sun-Dog won't allow them to continue for very long, my bold pup." Just then, Lightning leaped to the ground, taunting the Earth-Dog. Nip remembered Mother-Dog's stories. The Sun-Dog won't be very pleased with Light- Suddenly, a booming, crashing, intensely loud roar rang in Nip's ears, interrupting her thoughts. The Sun-Dog is ''furious! Nip thought. ''Stop, Lightning, please stop! ''she begged silently. "Why does Lightning tease Earth-Dog?" Sniff asked Mother-Dog. To Nip's surprise, he didn't even seem nervous, and sounded merely annoyed. "Lightning teases her because of what she did him. You remember the story, don't you? She opened up the ground and tried to swallow him up, for Lightning had lived for so long, and she believed it was time for her to take him. But the Sky-Dogs saved him, and brought him up with them. He still teases her though, to this day," Mother-Dog reminded him, managing to finish speaking before Lightning, as streak of blinding light, sprang to the earth again, causing another deafening growl of thunder to sound. ''This doesn't seem natural . . . . . the Sun-Dog doesn't seem to be growling at the Sky-Dogs or Lightning. There's just . . . . too much fury in his snarls for that. This isn't displeasure; this is rage. He is truly angry. But . . . . why? '' She didn't know how exactly she knew this to be true, but she felt an odd certainity that it was. None of her siblings seem to notice the difference of this storm; Fidget was shifting uncomfortably and muttering complaints, Nudge was watching the rain fall as if trying to find some sign of that the downpur might be ending, Whimper looked like she was trying to disappear, and Sniff was replying to Mother-Dog. Nip cleared her mind with a shake of her head and listened to their conversation. "I don't think that's right. The Sky-Dogs and Lightning should have accepted that it was Lightning's time," Sniff grunted. Nip was surprised. Didn't he think that it was mean of Earth-Dog to try and take Lightning? Mother-Dog nuzzled him fondly. "You are quite understanding and fair to Earth-Dog, Sniff. Hopefully she might appreciate your support and help you out of trouble some day, as the Sky-Dogs did to Lightning." Fidget squirmed beside Nip. "I don't care about what Lightning is doing to Earth-Dog, or what the Sun-Dog thinks about it!" he yapped in his whiny voice. Mother-Dog looked appalled. "Why, Fidget! Don't be that disrespectful!" she scolded, giving him a light cuff with her paw that caught him on the ear. "That is ''not how I brought you up!" Nudge nibbled Fidget's ear. "Yeah, Fidget! Stop being mean to the Spirit-Dogs!" she yelped. With her reddish-orange and white coat, she stood out from the rest of the litter and Mother-Dog; Mother-Dog, Nip, and Fidget were black and white, Sniff dark brown and white. As more thunder crashed, sounding as if the Sun-Dog were growling right above their heads, Nip couldn't take it anymore. "Mother-Dog, tell us a story!" she pleaded. "All right." agreed Mother-Dog. "Let's see . . . . would you like me to tell you the story of your Sire-Dog?" she inquired. "Yes, Mother-Dog, yes!" the pups yipped. "Okay. Here it is." Mother-Dog took a deep breath and began. "I met your Sire-Dog when I was hunting in the woods during Red-Leaf, far from any longpaw strutures and hardstone paths. Forest-Dog must have been feeling generous, because a rabbit practically hopped straight into my mouth. After I buried a portion for Earth-Dog, I was settling down to eat when a squirrel caught my eye. It was fat and sleepy, as all Red-Leaf squirrels are. I was chasing when it abruptly turned around, right into my paws. I killed it with a blow to the spine, and as I was wondering why it had turned, I saw exactly why. He was standing not too far away from me, and his coat; just like yours, Nudge-" Here Nudge yipped happily, and Mother-Dog gave her a kind glance before continuing. "His coat blended in perfectly with the orange and scaret leaves, white patches resembling early snow or frost. The squirrel must have spotted him, and that must have been why it had jumped right into my range. I told him that I wasn't looking for a fight, that he was welcome to the prey. But he didn't seem interested in the squirrel. He watched me, appearing only slightly wary. "I crouched down and slowly backed away. I thought he was going to attack me But then I realized his tail was wagging in a friendly way, and his tongue lolled nonthreateningly. So I asked him if he wanted the squirrel again. And he still did not answer. Finally, he spoke. He told me that I could have the squirrel- if I agreed to meet him in that very part of the forest the next day." Mother-Dog's dark eyes were shining with the memory, and she appeared lost in the happiness of it. She didn't continue the story. Desperate to hear more, Nip nudged her. "Tell us the rest!" she begged. "I ''don't want to hear the rest," announced Fidget. "It's stupid." His lip curled. "''Watch your muzzle, young pup!" snapped Mother-Dog. She took another deep breath and went on. "So I met him the next day. We told each other about ourselves, shared prey, hunted together, everything. And the next day, we did the same. And the next. He explained to me that he was a Pack-Dog, so he could never stay long," Mother-Dog recalled. "He was a Pack-Dog?" asked Nip. She knew Pack-Dogs all lived together in one big Pack. Nip wasn't sure she'd like that. Her Pup Pack was hard enough to handle. Then again . . .I do like being with my littermates, even if they can be annoying sometimes. I suppose I might be able to adapt to that sort of life. "''Yes, he was. A Hunter. He caught prey for his Pack. And for me. I hunted for him, too. We made a great team." Her eyes clouded slightly. "But then, one day, he never came. I waited and waited. He didn't come the next day, either. Or the next. Or the next. Finally I gathered the courage to seek out his Pack and ask them what had become of him. They told me he was dead." Mother-Dog sighed. "I still grieve for him, but I know that his body fed Earth-Dog, and his spirit has become part of everything." "How can his spirit become part of everything?" inquired Sniff, amber eyes shining with interest. Mother-Dog gave an amused bark. "Another time, Sniff." Thunder rumbled faintly in the distance, and more raindrops leaked through the roof. Whimper began to shake harder than before. Nudge prodded her sister with a small white paw. "It's just the Sun-Dog making the Sky-Dogs stop fighting!" Nudge told Whimper, trying to comfort her trembling littermate. "Right?" the red-furred pup asked Mother-Dog, and Nip suddenly felt that she needed to have Mother-Dog confirm it. Her affirmation might squash the fear that was rising up inside of her, threatening to escape her jaws in a whine. "Yes, little one." Mother-Dog gave them each a swift lick. Nip yelped as a cold drop of water splashed onto her skull, followed by a fericious roar of thunder that chilled her to the marrow of her bones. The Sun-Dog sounded more enraged than ever. She couldn't help feeling, deep down, that his anger was misdirected. The thunder didn't seem to tear through the sky as it had done in other Sky-Dog fights. But if he wasn't angry at the Sky-Dogs- what could be the cause of his fury? Chapter One Spiral's fur was buffeted by the wind as she bounded across the meadow. The Sun-Dog's bright light shone all around her as she ran, paws barely skimming the hard earth. At the corner of her gaze, she could see Frost was coming in on her right side, and on her left she glimpsed Strike, a blur of chestnut fur. She knew Skip would be lying in wait several rabbit-chases ahead of her, hidden by the tall grass. She gained speed, pursuing the hoofed creature ahead of her. The deer ran faster as well, dark eyes panicked. But Spiral was too quick, and got close enough to snap at the back of its slender hind legs, sharp white teeth snapping shut on fur and flesh. She did her best to slow it down, savaging whatever her jaws locked on. On either side of her, Frost and Strike started to close in, leaving only one direction for the doe to flee- forward, right into Skip's paws. It soon reached the rotting log that obscured Skip from view, and as it leaped over, Skip pounced from beneath, locking onto its exposed throat, powerful hind paws slashing its underbelly. Blood splashed onto the Hunter's coat, staining the white areas scarlet and pooling onto the ground. Spiral caught the scent of if, hot and fresh, and she eagerly dashed ahead to help Skip finish it off, but there was no need. The deer was dead. It had happened so fast, but they had worked together and the result was food for the Pack. ''A fine catch, Spiral thought proudly, admiring their catch. Strike joined her, grunting happily, with Frost padding behind him. "Did you catch anything?" a bright voice called. Spiral turned to see the fifth and lowest-ranked Hunter, Pool, on the other side of the meadow. She took something in her jaws and briskly walked over to the other Hunters. As she approached, Spiral noticed her burden was a rabbit, bloody and limp. Lowering it to the ground, something seemed to catch her eye, and Spiral followed her gaze to the deer. "Wow!" she yelped. "Alpha will be pleased! And I've got a couple squirrels back there, but I couldn't carry them along with this," she explained, prodding the rabbit. Before the other Hunters could say anything, she disappeared in the tall grass. They did not have to wait long before she returned, brown eyes sparkling happily, carrying two nice meaty squirrels in her jaws. Good haul today, Spiral thought. Skip cleaned his paws with strokes of his pink tongue, removing any trace of blood. "What do you think, Spiral?" he questioned eagerly. "Is it enough? I mean, will Alpha think it is enough?" Though her tail happily thumped the grass, her voice was even and dignified when she replied. "I think we did a good job . . . but it is Alpha's decision. He will judge it," she responded. Strike stepped in. "Are we going to waste time chatting, or can we get back? I want to tell Brook all about it! I mean, I did ''do a lot of work chasing it, even if Skip killed it!" the lean chestnut dog boasted. "Sure, Strike," Spiral answered. "Let's go." She gave a soft whuff off amusement. Of course Strike wanted to tell Brook. He showed off to every dog, but was especially determined to impress the pretty swift-dog. They divided the prey between them. Spiral took the rabbit, Pool took her squirrels, and Strike, Skip, and Frost took the deer. They were momentarily unsteady, but they quickly balanced and started heading back to camp. Pool followed, and Spiral chose to be last. They trekked through the woods, paws crunching on dead leaves. Pool yipped when a thorn pierced her paw pad, and Skip growled in frustration when a squirrel perched on a branch just out of reach, but for the most part they continued in silence, carrying their prey. They reached the hill the camp rested atop in after a rather long, tiring trip, although they kept moving at a good pace. Dodging protruding boulders, Spiral nimbly scrambled up. The other four would have been far behind if she hadn't slowed down enough to mantain her position at the rear of the group. Squeezing through the thin gap in the high bramble wall that encircled camp, they deposited their prey in the center, at the base of Alpha's rock, laying the doe on top where it looked especially impressive, tan hide covering plenty of rich, flavorful meat. ''I sure hope there is still some left by the time it's my turn. Probably will be. That's what comes being the highest-ranked dog that isn't Alpha or Beta. ''Spiral was suddenly grateful for her position in the Pack. The Hunters paused to admire the deer, but took their gaze away before the scent of blood and fresh prey became overly tempting. Skip observed the deep, clean bite in it's throat, and his chest swelled visibly with pride at his work, at what he had contributed to the Pack. Beta approached them, scanning the prey heap. The golden-furred dog gave a small bark of approval. "Good work today, Hunters," she praised calmly. "I'll have Alpha tell you if this is enough." After they each dipped their heads respectfuly to her, she left them and vanished into Alpha's den. After a few moments of rest, Beta returned, and at her side was Alpha. The large, muscular brown dog seemed in a good mood today. ''Which is nice for him, great for us, ''Spiral reasoned. Alpha surveyed their catch, and after a long moment met their gaze. "Decent, but we need more. I believe you will find good hunting at one of the rabbit warrens. Go there, hunt, and return by sunset. Is that clear, Hunters?" he barked. They all yelped agreement, and without any dog objecting, the Hunters exited camp, this time Spiral up front. As they padded down the hummock, Spiral started to speak to the others. "We did well, but not well enough!" she declared. "Had Alpha not sent us out again, dogs might have gone hungry tonight!" Four heads ducked, and four tails drooped in shame, as they stood halfway down the slope, and regret oozed from them so strongly Spiral felt she could practically smell it. ''We let our Pack down. We're lucky Alpha gave us another chance. He is such a good leader, making sure no dog will be left with no prey. "But we can make up for that!" Spiral announced. "We will catch plenty of fat rabbits at the nearest warren! Hunters, follow!" she commanded. As the highest-ranking Hunter, she knew they could not question what she said. She had earned her place, as every member of the Pack had. They continued at a fair speed, having made this descent enough to avoid stumbling. "You know what is expected of you," Spiral called back. She didn't like wasting too much time rallying them. They should do their best without my support, she told herself. By now they were at the bottom of the hill. "The closest warren is to our left," Skip offered. "Right. Let's go," Spiral answered. She took off at a steady pace. "Quickly, if we are to return by sunset!" The Hunters filed behind her in a tight line. In no time at all, Spiral caught the scent of rabbit. A short time later, they reached the warren, barely weary at all. Dappled light filtered through the foliage of the trees. The earth was wet and matted their paws, but the promise of prey seemed to hang in the air. "Pool, find a hole that fits your head and front paws and start digging! Drive them out!" Spiral ordered, crouching low to the ground, belly brushing mud. The small dog obeyed. Clumps of damp earth flew everywhere, spattering when they landed. For a moment, nothing happened. Then a score of terrified rabbits seemed to leap straight out of the ground. Strike caught the first one, snapping its neck with his pointed teeth. One hopped in Spiral's direction, and the blur of brown fur that partially obscured her gaze. She lunged, snapping savagely. It died almost instantly, just as another flashed by. She turned and swatted at it, the blow sending it reeling backwards, stunned. It that time she snagged it on claw and brought it towards her teeth, killing it with a crack of breaking bones. A third bounded right over her muzzle, and annoyance coursed through her, at this creature who thought it could escape. She blocked it with a paw, and it spun around. Before it could realize it had just turned right towards her jaws, she closed them on its neck. Setting it down, two more bolted past. She whirled around and slammed her paws down, cruching the spine of one. The other managed to slip away, but she had smashed its haunch, and it could not flee. She took it in her mouth and shook it harshly to kill it. No more came. All of the rabbits had either been killed or escaped. The soil was marked with many paw prints of rabbit and dog alike, and small pools of dark red blood stained it. Mud clotted Spiral's pelt, but she had caught prey, and that was all that mattered right now. Skip had matched her four, Strike and Frost had three, and Pool, despite being occupied by flushing the rabbits out, had managed one, who had been crippled before she caught it and couldn't hobble away speedily enough. Spiral felt the thrill of a successful hunt filling her up like the light of the Sun-Dog. They had done well. "Not bad. This should suffice," Spiral decided. They gathered their prey in their jaws and started back. It didn't seem to take long. The happiness at the fine ammount of prey they had captured and the taste of it filling their mouths had them eager to return. Frost offered to cover them from behind, and Spiral accepted. At one point Skip and Strike started arguing who had caught the largest rabbit, but that didn't last long as they could not speak to much through their burdens. Pool cheerfully held her rabbit, head high. The sun had hardly dropped beneath the horizon when they emerged into camp. Beta padded over to them promptly, sniffing. "You caught many," she remarked. "Fine job. You are free to do as you please before we eat." With that, she left them to go speak with Alpha. Probably going to tell him how well we did, ''Spiral thought happily. She padded over to Skip, who was laying in the shade of the brambles. "Do you think the Patrol-Dogs will have anything to report?" she inquired to the tall tri-colored dog. Skip snorted. "Since when did they ''ever have anything to report?" he scoffed. "They've given us some good information in the past," Spiral reminded him sharply, feeling defensive of her brother, Mole, as he was a Patrol-Dog. "Far ''in the past." Skip rolled his eyes. "The last time they gave us news was when they found stale Lone Dog scent at our borders." "When I was a pup, they found fox scent, and managed to warn the Pack before the foxes attacked," recalled Spiral. "I remember that. But it was a long time ago, wasn't it?" He stretched luxoriously. "I'm not trying to ''disrespect ''the Patrol-Dogs. They're great at what they do. But they hardly ever have anything to report back." Spiral couldn't argue with that. Mole was great at what he did- but Skip was right, he rarely brought any reports back along with his fellow Patrol-Dogs. ''Makes me glad I'm a Hunter, ''thought Spiral. Her eyes turned onto the pile of prey. She wondered when it was time to eat; her belly was growling loudly and she was longing for a good meal. She notcied Pool crouching near the pile, occasinally whirling around to snap at her tail. Skip followed her gaze. "Pool may be a Hunter, but she's still got plently of growing up to do," he growled, but his brown eyes were alight with amusement. "True," Spiral agreed. She glanced around to see what the other Hunters were doing. Strike was pacing restlessly at the edge of camp. Frost had entered the Hunters' Den and was resting in her nest, tongue lolling. "The Patrol-Dogs have returned!" Beta was alertly peering at the camp entrance. Spiral lifted her ears to her what they had to announce, if anything. Maple was edging through it, careful not to be scratched by thorns. Mole, Spiral's brother, followed, Flick and Brook not far behind. Maple, the highest-ranked Patrol-Dog with a smooth gait and pale golden coat, addressed the Pack. "Nothing to report," she stated. Flick, the small, lowest-ranked dog in the Pack above Omega, hastened to add, "But we did hear something in the distance! Could have been dogs. Or coyotes!" he yipped brightly. But then his tail drooped. "But if was- really far away. That's why we couldn't tell." "No dangers, then? Good." Beta responded. "Alpha should summon us to eat any moment now." "Packmates!" called Alpha, emerging from his den as though on cue. Spiral eagerly pricked her ears to listen, hoping for the announcement of eating time. Alpha stalked in front of the heap of prey. "Gather around," he instructed his Pack. Spiral scooted forward slightly, but knew not to go too close to the prey. Alpha was rather strict about that, he despised it when dogs secretly stole prey out of turn. Few dogs would do that, of course. Only one that Spiral knew of. And there she was, slinking close to the pile. Omega lowered herself to the ground, but her head was stretched forward enough to take a mouthful of deer when Alpha wasn't looking… Spiral was about to bark an angry command at her to get back and wait for her turn when Beta gave the smooth-furred dog a swift nip on the back of her hind leg. She growled a soft order and Omega backed away from the prey, mumbling. ''I don't know what we would do without Beta. Or, at least, what Omega would do without her. Alpha would have probably shredded her ears ten times over if Beta wasn't here to correct her without using her teeth. Alpha bent down and ripped off a huge chunk of deer with his powerful jaws. He devoured it in rapid bites, his teeth crunching on bone. Spiral began to drool, seeing him eat so richly. Thankfully she wouldn't have to wait long before her turn. After Alpha had finished, Beta stepped forward. She selected two rabbits, gulping the first one down quickly before slowing to finish half of the second rabbit. Appearing satisfied, she turned and padding away, licking red from her muzzle, briefly noding to Spiral. Now, at last, it was Spiral's turn. She sprang to her paws and strode over to the pile. For a moment, she surveyed the prey, a faint pride sparking inside of her. Then she dipped her head to snap up a rabbit and a small piece of deer. They prey tasted amazing and fresh, slowly ceasing her hunger enough for her to savor it before swallowing. Having filled her belly, she padded back to her place. The prey disappeared quickly. By the time it was Omega's turn, all that was left was the partially gnawed leg of a rabbit. Spiral would have pitied the lowly dog- if she wasn't so irritating, that was. Omega practically inhaled the rabbit leg, barely chewing it at all. It was gone in a matter of moments. Clearly furious that she had not been supplied with enough to eat, she kept shooting fierce glares at the other dogs, except for Alpha, whose gaze she avoided. Too bad, ''thought Spiral. ''If you want a better meal, try earning a better rank. '' Alpha was eyeing Omega viciously. He rose to his paws and called to her, "Omega! I would like you to fetch fresh bedding for the dens." Omega narrowed her eyes. "Fine," she almost snarled. Alpha's lips lifted slightly, revealing a glint of fangs. "What was that, Omega?" he growled. "''Whoops," ''Omega snapped, her voice full of mockery. "I meant, ''thank you ''for the absolute ''privliege ''of allowing me to go fetch you ''bedding, ''O Great Alpha." She whipped around and stormed into the forest before Alpha could speak a word. Spiral wasn't sad to see her go. Omega was a pain in the tail and all dogs knew it, but she did her work- more or less- so she stayed in the Pack. "Pack! Into your nests! There will be no Great Howl tonight!" Alpha ordered, eying the thin sliver that was the only visible sign of the Moon-Dog. Spiral crossed the camp and entered the warm, clean den the Hunters slept in. The bedding ''was rather dry and withered, she noticed. Hopefully Omega would return soon. She settled down and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come. She hadn't slept long before she awoke to Alpha's thunderous barked ringing across the clearing. "Omega!" The Hunters crowded the den entrance to see what was going on. Spiral had to shove Frost's muzzle aside and shoulder past Strike to have a clear view. Alpha was towering over Omega, teeth bared. The small dog's brown eyes were wide and innocent. "Yes, Alpha?" she questioned politely. He thrust his blunt muzzle into her face. "You put deer dung in my bedding, and don't deny it!" Omega merely appeared puzzled. "Alpha, what are you talking about? The bedding I brought in was fresh and clean! Beta inspected it!" she told their leader. Alpha faced his second-in-command. "It's true," Beta admitted. She growled. "Although I am wondering who put thorns in my ''bedding," she added with a slight growl. Alpha was obviously furious. He turned back to Omega, his eyes blazing. "If you are the one who did this," he snarled. "I ''will ''find out. Understand?" Omega seemed to consider this deeply before she replied. "Oh, yes, I understand you, Alpha." "Good," the huge brown dog growled. "Pack- get back to your nests. You too, Omega. Just remember what I said." Spiral felt suspicion stirring within her. ''Omega did sneak dung into Alpha's bedding and thorns into Beta's, I know she did. But there is no way to prove it, because the obnoxious mongrel is too clever to let herself be caught doing things like that! Spiral sighed. She squirmed past several dogs and clambered into the den. Settling down in her nest, she closed her eyes and fell asleep to the sound of the wind in the trees outside of the den. Chapter Two What was that? Spiral opened her eyes. But instead ''of the den being aglow with morning light, it was still dark outside, the stars glimmering faintly in the black sky. When she slid through the exit, she could see the horizon had a slight, pale glow, it wouldn't be long before the Sun-Dog woke up. ''Why did ''I ''wake up? ''She pondered the question. ''I thought I heard something, ''she recalled. She glanced around, but saw nothing. But . . . . what was that? She ''had ''seen something! A pair of eyes, only visible for an instant, had appeared and vanished once more into the brambles. She growled, but the eyes were gone. Spiral felt her hackles rising. She scanned her mind, trying to decide which creature they had belonged to. Dog? Possibly, but no dog in her Pack as far as she could tell. Fox? No. Sharpclaw? Too large. Prey, like perhaps a deer? No, they'd looked . . . cunning. Surely not deer's eyes. Had she imagined them? Spiral wanted badly to believe she had. In the milky light of the Sun-Dog's first stirrings, she could have easily imagined the eyes. She hadn't imagined the them. Spiral was sure she'd seen them. But what use was it fretting over a pair of eyes. She inhaled deeply, scenting the air for any last traces of the creature, but there was only the strong smell of ferns and moss. With a shrug, Spiral padded into the center of camp. She should take advantage of her early awkening, prey would likely be out at this time, searching for food in the cool of the dark morning. By now the sky had faded to gray. "What in the name of the Sky-Dogs are you doing?" a tired but firm voice growled from behind her. Spiral whipped around to see Alpha standing outside of his den, eyes bleary. "I thought an early start would be good, Alpha," Spiral explained. "Plently of prey will be out at this time!' Alpha grunted. "I suppose, Spiral. Go and rise the other Hunters." Strike, who had been on guard, was not present when she gathered the others. She supposed he might have seen something and gone to examine the area. "Come on, Hunters!" Spiral barked. "Let's go catch some prey!" "But what about Strike?" Pool inquired, meeting Spiral's gaze with unsure brown eyes. "He was on guard. Probably just checking the perimiter," Spiral replied to her. Skip spoke up. "That's the Patrol-Dogs' job, not his. He may have been guarding, but he should not have left the camp, should he have?" Spiral was about to respond when a friendly bark interrupted her. She turned to see her brother emerging from the Patrol-Dogs' den. "Hello, Hunters. 'Morning, Spiral. What are you doing up so early?" Mole asked. "Early start," Spiral answered, at the same time that Frost replied, "We can't find Strike!" "I'll keep an eye out for him," Mole promised. "We're wasting time!" Spiral snapped, irritated. "Come, Hunters! Mole, I hope you have a good day, but we really should go. Prey stirs this time of morning." Mole nodded, and the other Hunters formed a neat line behind her. "We will hunt, even though Strike appears to be ''temporarily delayed." She made sure to emphasize the last few words. I care about my Packmates, of course. But Strike will catch up to us. Otherwise, Alpha will not be very happy with him. '' "Where to, Spiral?" She shook her head to clear it and saw Skip watching her expectantly. She realized she did not know, so she scratched at her ear, playing for time, while she decided. "Let's try near the edge of the forest, near the longpaw city," she finally concluded. The others yipped agreement. One by one, they padded through the exit tunnel. They turned left after they had reached the base of the hill. Frost quickened her pace so she stood beside Spiral. "Spiral, you don't need to get so annoyed at us. We were only worrying about our Packmate!" she lectured. ''How dare she?! She has no right to scold me like a pup! I'm higher in this Pack's hierachy than she is! ''Her angry thoughts led to her replying edgily. "Back to your position, Frost. Now." Deep down, Spiral knew she was being unfair. But they worried too much about the smallest things. ''Although I really do hope Strike shows up soon . . . . . . "Okay, Spiral," Frost huffed through gritted teeth. Spiral was glad she was even-tempered enough not to be angry even when she had a right to be. "I smell weasel!" Skip announced. Pool's nose twitched. "Me too, it-" She cut herself off with a bark, for a ginger-brown stoat had just scurried into its burrow a dog-length from where she stood. She dove after it, digging furiously. Spiral glimpsed her jaws closing on a tail, and with a vicious tug Pool pulled it out of the hole. Spiral quickly helped her finish it off. "Nice catch, Pool!" she praised. The little dog's eyes glowed with pride. "Thanks!" "It's good and plump, too!" Spiral added, wanting the please her. She knew it was good to encourage dogs like Pool, dogs who took such pride in what they did. "You can carry it until we reach the forest border. We'll figure out where to leave it when we get there," Spiral instructed. Pool nodded and lifted her prey higher. Nothing else was found until they reached the edge of the forest. Spiral wrinkled her nose at the nearby stench of longpaws, smoke, and spoil-boxes. But beneath it she detected the scent of small creatures. Smells like squirrels, mice, voles . . . . . ''Spiral knew she had to make a decision, but she let them all take in their surroundings. "We'll split up. Take turns guarding what we catch. Sound good?" Without waiting for a reply, she continued. "I'll go first," she volunteered, standing over the weasel that Pool had set down. The Hunters barked enthusiastic assent, eager to start their task. Skip left first, and Pool went in the opposite direction that he had. Frost headed somewhere to Spiral's right. No sooner had they all departed when Spiral caught the reek of another animal. She froze, stiffening. A coyote stepped out from behind a tree trunk. It had greasey tan fur and mud-colored eyes. It smelled strongly of spoil-boxes, and its ribs were very prominent. It gazed at the stoat hungrily. In a nasal voice, it rasped, "Give food, dog. Give preys now. I attacks dog if dog don't give food," the coyote rasped. Spiral was disgusted. This desperate creature wanted her to give it her prey. She lifted her lip, showing her teeth. "If you want this, you're going to have to fight for it, and it will be a fight that you will not win," she warned, her tone confident. It seemed to be having second thoughts for a moment, but a mad hunger shone in its eyes. "Yes, dog. I fights dog." And with that, it charged. Spiral felt cruel amusement as she easily dodged the attack. Swiftly, she turned and sank her teeth deep into its shoulder. She tasted blood and bit harder, ripping with her fangs. The coyote yelped and tore free. With a snarl, it dove at her again. She swerved away, and her paws began to turn in cicles. Faster, faster, until she was was whirling around the coyote in a spiral- a move she had invented not long before her Naming Ceremony. The coyote's yellow eyes were darting rapidly around, it was clearly trying to calculate her movements. But after a momemt, the slightest flicker of confusion played across his sharp-muzzled face.. Before it could regain its' focus, she lunged, snapping her jaws shut tight on the soft fold's of skin under the creature's neck. Spiral felt all the fight drain from the weak, limp animal she clucthed firmly by the throat. It let out a loud, agonized yelp. She detected movement under her teeth as the coyote tried to speak. "Pleases," it mumbled, sounding humiliated and pained. She narrowed her eyes, but knew that the proud coyote must be desperate if it was willing to beg for its' life. Of course, it was desperate already if it had been willing to attack. ''Still...it was only hungry. And it can spread the word that none are welcome in Pack territory. She reluctantly released her hold. "Get out," she ordered. The coyote didn't need to be told twice. It staggered away in the direction of the city, pathetically dragging its scrawny form. It probably won't survive the injury, anyway. Who cares if it doesn't? Spiral heard a questioning growl. "What was that?" Frost asked, padding out of the woods. "A coyote," Spiral explained. "Fought it off." Her eyes landed on Frost's prey. A squirrel, two mice, and a fat game bird. Spiral's mouth watered. "Is this enough? I thought I'd guard now," Frost commented. "Plenty!" Spiral assured her. "Oh, wow!" A hyper, if considerably muffled, yip interjected. Pool was bounding towards them, probably to deposit her prey, Spiral guessed. She was right, Pool held a vole and a gopher, which she dropped onto the pile. "Nice work, Pool! Keep it up!" she encouraged. Pool didn't need to be told twice before she had disappeared into the forest, a streak of black-and-white fur. Making sure Frost had everything under control, Spiral left her. She sniffed, trying to pick up a fresh scent, but caught nothing, so she walked on. On her third try, she caught the scent of rabbit. Close by. She quickened her pace. Now, not far ahead, she could make out the form of a rabbit, nibbling flowers. It was a perfect target. The Pack was sure to feast on it. She crouched, silent as she stalked. She could almost taste it when- Snap! '' Something split beneath a carelessly placed paw; a root, perhaps a twig or even a bone. But she didn't stop to check. The rabbit had heard her, and was bolting away. ''No! '' She sped after it. Her paws came closer . . . closer . . . she could almost reach it with her teeth if she streched forward . . . . . she saw nothing but the rabbit, everything else was a blur . . . . one good leap and . . . . ''Gotcha! '' She held the warm body in her teeth. It was then that she got a good look at her surroundings. During the chase, she hadn't felt the ground change beneath her, hadn't seen where she had ran. ''Oh, no. How . . . I should have focused. What will I do? Where is the forest? For she stood in the city, stinking of fire and longpaw filth. She couldn't see the forest. Loudcages were rapidly making their way down black stone paths. She saw longpaws everywhere; luckily none of them paid her much attention, but they were their, less than a dog-length away from her. This can't be real. I haven't been in the city since I was a pup! This can't be happening! A longpaw pup stared at her, and reached over. Spiral tensed, frozen with fear, as it patted her head. She backed away, startled. She kept her prey in her mouth; nothing would convince her to abandon it. Dodging longpaws, she ducked into a dark path between longpaw structures. It was damp, and ominous. Spiral didn't like it. She pricked her ears, hearing a skitter to one side of her. Then more. Planting herself over the rabbit, she snarled. Several pairs of red eyes peered at her. Hairless tails lashed. Three rats stepped out of the shadows, More coming soon